My name is Simran and I have been ‘potting’ for about two years. Six years ago I had a head injury, which unfortunately left me severely sight-impaired  and with mobility and cognitive issues.

Pottery has given me a huge sense of purpose and makes me happy.

I am self-taught and feel free when I am at the wheel. I can forget about my disability and be 'me' again. 

I work in my home studio in the garden and it is my 'happy place'. I have a potters wheel and a kiln, so am lucky enough to able to complete the pottery process from beginning to end. 

I work with earthenware, stoneware clay and porcelain. Porcelain is the most difficult, although it feels lovely to work with, trimming and drying can be very problematic. Stoneware is a lovely 'all rounder' clay which means pieces can left safely in the garden.

I decorate my pieces with the aid of a magnifier, using brush-on glazes, but I am experimenting with making my own glazes with the help of Alice my  studio technician. My decorative techniques are a bit pot luck, but always relaxing and fun to do.

 

Everything is handmade, which means every piece is unique, perhaps a little wonky at times , but all are imperfectly perfect!

My pieces are either ‘thrown’ at the wheel or hand-built, by slab building, coiling or pinching the clay.

When dried ( which can take days or weeks depending on the weather and the size of the piece) they are bisque fired in my kiln, glazed, then fired for the final time.

The process is slow and it takes time before each piece is ready. The most exciting thing is opening the kiln after the glaze firing and seeing how the final piece turns out. Occasionally there are disasters, but each failure allows for improvement the next time!

 

At Sips Kent we want to make pottery accessible for everyone, regardless if they have a disability or not. We want pottery to be affordable, so everyone can 'have a go' if they wish, so that they can be creative and feel the freedom that working with clay brings. So why not contact us and book into a session, to come and play with clay  and fall in love with a new and creative journey.